Part of the furniture

i read somewhere.....years ago, think it was in revs, max power or fast car that cleaning in the rain is better for the car.....well it beats "diy" anyway

a few posters on detailing world have used 0000 grade wire wool instead of a cloth to clean glass, but i've not tried it tho, exhausts with that and metal polish come up a treat.

wonder if the wire wool would remove the spotty deposits we've talked about on the side windows that look caked on (more noticable on tinted glass), mine had them for the duration of ownership and even a clay wouldnt shift them.....maybe i wasnt "rubbing hard"

Broken

Well, on Thursday I got a bit ebay happy. I bought some pearl white vinyl to cover the wood trim interior parts. The fun starts when I have to actually wrap them I also bought some cheap decals just for a bit of a laugh.

They arrived today. Really impressed with the pearl vinyl, looks very similar to the exterior paint, with the same colours in the pearl, so looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Then the decals I bought, I fitted them after washing the van and Pippa's car. Bit of a laugh

Broken

So, last week I had my first attempt at wrapping the centre console with the pearlescent vinyl I bought off ebay. I went out and bought a heat gun, got a blade ready, cut a piece to size and set to work.

Suffice to say, I was NOT happy with the results. It took bloody ages and looked absolutely shocking.

I just couldn't get the vinyl to bend and shape itself the way it needed to. Regardless of heat, pressure, stretching etc etc, it just didn't work. I ended up having to overlap the top left section. Then when I trimmed the cut out areas, I trimmed too much off and it just didn't work. The inverse corners didn't stick, and overall it was just a mess.

I fitted it back in the van, and left it. It looked OK from a distance

But the whole experience left me feeling somewhat deflated in all honesty.

Well-Known Member

So, last week I had my first attempt at wrapping the centre console with the pearlescent vinyl I bought off ebay. I went out and bought a heat gun, got a blade ready, cut a piece to size and set to work.

Suffice to say, I was NOT happy with the results. It took bloody ages and looked absolutely shocking.

I just couldn't get the vinyl to bend and shape itself the way it needed to. Regardless of heat, pressure, stretching etc etc, it just didn't work. I ended up having to overlap the top left section. Then when I trimmed the cut out areas, I trimmed too much off and it just didn't work. The inverse corners didn't stick, and overall it was just a mess.

I fitted it back in the van, and left it. It looked OK from a distance

But the whole experience left me feeling somewhat deflated in all honesty.

Broken

This weekend, after four weeks of doing what I could between the rain, being able to park outside, and other things in life getting in the way, I was able to finish the external prep work for Jap Fest. Just in time, as it's this weekend.

The whole van was clayed first, then polished using the DA and AutoFinesse No2 polish, sealed with Poor Boys White Diamond Sealant, and finished with VIP Car Care hard wax, The wheels were also treated to a polish. The lips were done with AutoFinnese No1 polish, then No3 polish, then sealed with the same sealant and waxed with the same hard wax. Tyres finished with Car Couture tyre gel.

Luckily I got it all finished as it started raining again, so I could get some nice beading shots to show the paint is indeed well protected.

Broken

Tonight, I finally picked up the motivation to have a second attempt at wrapping the console. Attempt 1 taught me a few things, and reading up about vinyl wrapping over the last few days also helped me to see where I went wrong.

The heat you apply isn't just to help the vinyl stretch around corners, but it also helps to shrink it into place.

So again, after work, I pulled the centre console off, cut off a piece big enough, and set to work again.

I burnt my fingers countless times, took a small chunk out of my finger with the cutting blade, and very very nearly lost my rag on multiple occassions which would have resulted in the whole damn thing getting smashed to pieces.

But, I'm now happy with the end result. It's not perfect, but I did. I'm proud of it now as it stands and happy to leave it on the car until I can afford for a professional to properly paint it, or get all the trim hydrodipped.

Well-Known Member

Tonight, I finally picked up the motivation to have a second attempt at wrapping the console. Attempt 1 taught me a few things, and reading up about vinyl wrapping over the last few days also helped me to see where I went wrong.

The heat you apply isn't just to help the vinyl stretch around corners, but it also helps to shrink it into place.

So again, after work, I pulled the centre console off, cut off a piece big enough, and set to work again.

I burnt my fingers countless times, took a small chunk out of my finger with the cutting blade, and very very nearly lost my rag on multiple occassions which would have resulted in the whole damn thing getting smashed to pieces.

But, I'm now happy with the end result. It's not perfect, but I did. I'm proud of it now as it stands and happy to leave it on the car until I can afford for a professional to properly paint it, or get all the trim hydrodipped.

Broken

@dognero - You mean the Tein EDFC controller? Yeah, it came over with the van from Japan. Didn't know about it until it actually landed.

And Yeah @dognero and @JohnE - the videos look so simple. But I guess that's what comes with practice and skill. But for someone like me, who is all fingers and thumbs with zero patience, it's a damn near impossible feat.

I'm just glad I managed to get it to a point that I'm happy with it. Means the money spent (that I don't have) wasn't a complete waste

Part of the furniture

This weekend, after four weeks of doing what I could between the rain, being able to park outside, and other things in life getting in the way, I was able to finish the external prep work for Jap Fest. Just in time, as it's this weekend.

The whole van was clayed first, then polished using the DA and AutoFinesse No2 polish, sealed with Poor Boys White Diamond Sealant, and finished with VIP Car Care hard wax, The wheels were also treated to a polish. The lips were done with AutoFinnese No1 polish, then No3 polish, then sealed with the same sealant and waxed with the same hard wax. Tyres finished with Car Couture tyre gel.

Luckily I got it all finished as it started raining again, so I could get some nice beading shots to show the paint is indeed well protected.

Ive bought one of those Autoglym clay bars last night as ive never used one before. Any top tips on technique when using one??? Ive bought a couple of bottles of the Autoglym quick detailer spray too as I gather this is the stuff to use in conjunction with the clay bar.

Broken

You can use Quick Detailer as a lubricant for clay bar, but it also has other uses, like a waterless wash between cleans if it's just a little dusty. Personally, I would save the quick detailer for that than using it as a clay lube. In stead, I would put some car shampoo in a spray bottle and add water just to make soapy water that's safe to use on the paint. This will more than suffice for a clay lube. Not sure if there are any advantages to using the quick detailer, @Rapperfrapper will be better to advise you on that. But I use the soapy water method as 1/ I don't have any quick detailer at the moment, and 2/ when I do have some, I want to make it last as long as possible because I'm always skint

So, wash the car as normal, but don't bother drying it. Remove the clay bar from the packaging and knead it in your hands until it's soft and pliable.

Whichever lube you use... do a panel at a time, and spray the lubricant on the part of the panel you are starting. Don't spray the whole panel first as it will dry and you'll need to put more on. Just spray the bits as you go.

Just spray it on, and gently rub the clay over the paint. Take your time with it, there's no rushing this process. Concentrate on any little marks you come across as you go (typically tar spots, rust spots from iron fall out, tree sap, etc). Once you have done a section, run the back of your hand over the panel and it should feel a lot smoother than the areas you haven't done.

As with washing, I would recommend going top down... so start with the roof (if you can be arsed), then the top of the windows, down the A/B/C Pillars, then the bonnet, side panels to first swage line.

I find that the higher parts take the least time to clay as they don't collect as much road grime. Tree sap etc comes off a lot easier than tar spots and road grime. You will take longer to each section as you get further to the bottom.

If you aren't arsed about perfection, then you can just quickly go over the whole car in about 20 - 30 mins. It'll still give a much better finish than not using it. But if you really want to get the paint to shine, you'll spend up to 2 hours claying. I guess this time can be reduced if you use pre-wash products such as iron fallout remover, tar/sap/bug remover etc. These products are designed to dissolve and soften the grime before you get to it with a clay bar.

When you have finished the whole car, you need to wash it again. Then dry. Then polish. Then seal. Then Wax. Then call an ambulance to pick up your lifeless body from the pavement.

You can, to ease the pressure, do a panel at a time. So on your first wash, do the bonnet only. Then finish. Next time, do a door. Then a rear panel etc.

Part of the furniture

You can use Quick Detailer as a lubricant for clay bar, but it also has other uses, like a waterless wash between cleans if it's just a little dusty. Personally, I would save the quick detailer for that than using it as a clay lube. In stead, I would put some car shampoo in a spray bottle and add water just to make soapy water that's safe to use on the paint. This will more than suffice for a clay lube. Not sure if there are any advantages to using the quick detailer, @Rapperfrapper will be better to advise you on that. But I use the soapy water method as 1/ I don't have any quick detailer at the moment, and 2/ when I do have some, I want to make it last as long as possible because I'm always skint

So, wash the car as normal, but don't bother drying it. Remove the clay bar from the packaging and knead it in your hands until it's soft and pliable.

Whichever lube you use... do a panel at a time, and spray the lubricant on the part of the panel you are starting. Don't spray the whole panel first as it will dry and you'll need to put more on. Just spray the bits as you go.

Just spray it on, and gently rub the clay over the paint. Take your time with it, there's no rushing this process. Concentrate on any little marks you come across as you go (typically tar spots, rust spots from iron fall out, tree sap, etc). Once you have done a section, run the back of your hand over the panel and it should feel a lot smoother than the areas you haven't done.

As with washing, I would recommend going top down... so start with the roof (if you can be arsed), then the top of the windows, down the A/B/C Pillars, then the bonnet, side panels to first swage line.

I find that the higher parts take the least time to clay as they don't collect as much road grime. Tree sap etc comes off a lot easier than tar spots and road grime. You will take longer to each section as you get further to the bottom.

If you aren't arsed about perfection, then you can just quickly go over the whole car in about 20 - 30 mins. It'll still give a much better finish than not using it. But if you really want to get the paint to shine, you'll spend up to 2 hours claying. I guess this time can be reduced if you use pre-wash products such as iron fallout remover, tar/sap/bug remover etc. These products are designed to dissolve and soften the grime before you get to it with a clay bar.

When you have finished the whole car, you need to wash it again. Then dry. Then polish. Then seal. Then Wax. Then call an ambulance to pick up your lifeless body from the pavement.

You can, to ease the pressure, do a panel at a time. So on your first wash, do the bonnet only. Then finish. Next time, do a door. Then a rear panel etc.

Cheers Karl, some top tips there. I have loads of time TBH so will just see how it goes at first albeit a panel at a time is the way I will attack it. Think I will do the roof first as its in dire need of a good buff up and to my satisfaction too. I have my hop up so that part will be easier to do.

Here for life

Try and use as much steps as possible to remove the likes of grime, tar, tree sap, etc before actually hand washing and before using clay bars, the use of a pre wash (to remove grease and surface dirt) then a snow foam(to pull contaminants away from the paint, hand wash with a good dedicated car wash (without added wax) and two buckets, then once rinsed and dried use tar remover, then you can apply a fallout remover to remove iron contaminants, your then ready to clay bar with either a dedicated clay lube or a few drops of your shampoo diluted into a spray bottle, unless you use bilt hamber clay which can be used with water, BUT, be aware that using a clay bar, as good as it is in removing any remaining particles from your paint, may inflict some marring onto the paint which will need to be removed by polishing either by hand or machine.
When using clay another tip is to remove small pieces off you main block and place them in warm water (especially on a cold day) this will soften the clay and make it easier to mould into a small coin like shape(approx a 50pence size) and then rub it over your paint and folding it over everytime you hear it click over and picks up a particle, the last thing you want to do after all your hard work in prepping the paint prior to claying, is to keep using the same small piece to do a whole car, so once the clay has been folded over a few times chuck it in the bin, otherwise you may end up with a very gritty clay and cause scratches on your paint.